“It’s the same.”
Instead of going straight to his room, Ian Page teleported outside his manor fence. He smiled as Siram’s invention, the Automatic Disinfection Machine, let out a white disinfecting gas made by Douglas, the Head Imperial Alchemist. A clean wind then blew all the dust and other particles away, and the Page Manor could be entered only after this process.
“Hello.”
Ian’s mother welcomed him, as she had ordered that all manor servants should not work after seven. The house was quiet as they all went to the outhouse next to the manor.
“Welcome. Was his highness all right?”
Hailey Greenriver, now Hailey Page, also greeted him. She would be curious about her family as she now lived here.
“He is well and as usual. While he wants to see Yohana, but I refused to let him do so until her first birthday.”
Vanessa inwardly shook her head to see her coolheaded son fuss about her granddaughter.
“You did well, as an infant needs special care until her first birthday.”
The strange thing was that Hailey, who had ruled over the social circles with only a few words, now was the same as Ian.
“Yes, is Yohana well?”
Ian spoke nonchalantly, but he had been curious all the while.
“She cried herself to sleep. She cries all day loudly like you had done as a baby.”
Vanessa answered instead, and she saw her son as an infant in her granddaughter. That had not been easy.
“It’s well that she is healthy.”
Since Ian would not remember his infancy, he thought that his mother said that Yohana was healthy.
“You two must be exhausted after caring for her all day. I will take care of her tonight. Rest up.”
Ian gently lifted the small baby into his arms with simple levitation magic.
“Yohana, let’s go to your room.”
While Yohana was six months old, he had already decorated the largest and cleanest room for her. Ian laid Yohana on her bed and stared at her six-month-old face. She was still tiny, and while he had been afraid that he may hurt her just by touching her, he now faced a different problem.
‘What kind of an unreal Mana Heart does she have? She is my blood, but…’
A Mana Heart was a small core in human being that created and formed mana. As Ian was above Eighth Class and Hailey was a Six, Yohana had amazing magic. The sheer amount of mana she could form and store was already above Class Four from birth. It was a scary talent.
It had been lucky Ian had been able to control her mana, as her mana would have exploded without intervention. This was why he had been so overprotective.
“Count yourself lucky for having a good father.”
Ian’s words were self-deprecating as he placed a new seal on Yohana’s Mana Heart. Her eyes opened.
“Are you awake? I did not intend to.”
“……”
“Let’s play with Daddy then.”
Yohana blinked her eyes for a few moments, and her smile was bright and sunny.
“How was your day?”
Ian asked Yohana this question, as he had decided he would treat her as a person from infanthood.
“Why does your grandmother say you cry all the time? You always smile in front of me.”
It was true that Yohana always laughed in front of Ian, and he had concluded that the only reason she did so was that she favored her father. It was a satisfying result.
“Do you like me that much?”
“Uh…”
“Did you just answer me?”
“Ike…!”
“You’re quick.”
Ian spent some time with Yohana like that, as he was often too busy to take time like this. However, a vibration told him that the emergency communication orb straight to the Ivory Tower had just been activated.
[Lord, are you listening?!]
Ronan was calling him.
“Yes, I am.”
[A Level Five Alert had been just activated at the Northern Observation Tower! Come to the meeting room immediately!]
Level Five was the highest, and the fight with the Undead in the Eastern Prairies counted as a Five. Ian was silent for a moment.
“I will go directly to the sight.”
[What?]
“If it’s a Level Five, the cause will be unimaginable. I think I should not waste time. Prepare all high class mages, and I will contact you after seeing what is going on.”
[Right, I will do so, and-]
It was then Ronan’s voice was cut off, and a blinding light hit the city. Ian had a good view from Yohana’s room, and he could see where the deafening sound was coming from.
The Ivory Tower was falling down.
“Yohana!”
Hailey came bursting into the room to protect her daughter.
“Take care of our family for me.”
Hailey nodded as there was not any time to ask questions. Ian teleported to the sky above Ivory Tower to see how the Tower’s protective spells had been broken. He also needed to see what the light was and its relevance to the situation while accessing the damage.
‘What is that?’
Ian now saw the northern walls had crumbled and spotted a giant human shape approach from a few kilometers back. A blue giant was staring at Ian Page and the Imperial Palace from the north.
Not only that, but he opened his jaw to let out the second ray of light.
The ray grazed Ian’s cheek. It was more destructive than a dragon’s breath, and Ian barely managed to avoid it. It drew blood from Ian, which meant it went through the protective spells on his body.
Ian could vouch that all magicians and dragons combined would not be able to break one barrier on him, but that ray was different. The light had nullified the spells on the Ivory Tower and Ian’s body, and he was no ordinary monster.
‘What is that?’
However, he had no time to be surprised, as the second ray had now destroyed the entire marketing district. He had to take the giant down before the city suffered more damage. Ian would give his all.
His eyes were blue, which meant that his mana was now at his maximum.
The wind blew rapidly as Ian spread one arm.
‘The Spear of Ice and Thunder.’
The giant spear covered the Ivory Tower grounds. He lifted his left arm to stroke the sparking weapon that was letting out chilling mana.
Ian waved both arms to summon two giant arms from behind his back that now held the spear. He flew straight to the giant at lightning speed, and the giant barely managed to block the first attack. However, the reaction was different from what he had expected.
[I see the Variant of the Middle World.]
Only one person would understand that outlandish language, but Ian Page was that person. It was the power of language.
Fran Page had taught dragons, and they had been transcendently powerful. However, the blue giant now spoke it fluently.
[I will start the removal.]